Jane’s 360:
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has taken another step towards bolstering its multi-layered system of at-sea defences against aircraft and missiles by commissioning its second Hobart-class air warfare destroyer (AWD). The vessel, HMAS Brisbane (41), was officially inducted on 27 October in a commissioning ceremony at Garden Island Naval Base, Sydney.
Brisbane is part of a three-ship programme to replace the RAN’s fleet of Adelaide-class (US Oliver Hazard Perry design) guided-missile frigates that have been in service since the early 1990s. First-of-class AWD, HMAS Hobart (39), was commissioned in September 2017.
The Hobart class is derived from Navantia’s F-100 Alvaro de Bazan-class frigate design, and incorporates the Aegis combat system. The vessel’s suite of sensors includes the Lockheed Martin and Raytheon AN/SPY 1D(V) phased array radar, and the Northrop Grumman AN/SPQ-9B surface search radar.
